"Name." His voice was deep and gravely.
He didn't know who Evelyn was. Something inside of me eased a little bit.
"Brianna." I hated myself when my voice shook.
The man yanked me up by my arm and shoved me into the wall. My head knocked back against it. "I do not accept lies. Name."
I closed my eyes. It technically was not a lie. "Evelyn." I whispered.
A beefy hand wrapped around my throat but did not apply pressure. "What are you doing way out here Evelyn?"
I opened my eyes and peered into his pale blue orbs. My fear brought out my sass. "I could ask you the same thing."
Amusement flickered across his face so fast I thought I imagined it. "I do not have time to play games. I can get the answers out of you the easier way, or the hard way."
"She is with us." The man dropped me like a potato sack and aimed his handgun at Chantel.
She seemed unbothered by him pointing a gun at her. She flipped around and raised the back of her shirt. She had the same markings as Jewel and Rugter. It was her rankings in the rebels. She had more than I thought she would. She dropped her shirt and turned back around. The girl who seemed to be a snotty, teenage child now carried herself like a warrior.
I rose to my feet on shaky knees. Chantel gave me a fleeting glance. This was twice now that she had saved my life.
"Is this how you make your presence known? Shooting the place up?" Chantel walked right up to his face with ease. "You could have killed someone." She was angry.
The beefy man peered down at her, unbothered by her attitude. "I saw the sign that the rebels needed help. I did not expect to see someone in The Unit uniform. I thought The Unit had gotten to you guys before I made it here."
Chantel rolled her eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't assume things." Chantel reached out her slender hand. "I am Chantel."
The man reached his out as well. "Ares."
Ares. Like the God of war. I stared at his huge frame strapped with weapons. The name fit.
"Were you the one that set off the torch?" Ares asked, letting go of her hand.
"No. That would be the man at the top." She switched back to using David's nickname.
Ares chuckled. A deep chuckle. "I heard about what happened over here. It's all over the news. Everyone is saying a mass number in the rebellion has been caught."
Chantel snickered. "Most of us have made it out. Stephan only wishes."
Ares looked behind him at me, still cowering against the wall. "What are you guys doing with his daughter?" His cold eyes looked me over. "You carry yourself differently than I remember."
He had known who I was the entire time.
"Apparently she is free to go of all her charges because after she got blasted by my bomb she lost all of her memory." Chantel said it in a tone implying that she didn't believe I had no memory.
Ares face fell back into a mask. Our eyes stayed connected for a long moment before he looked away. I pulled in air after he released me from his look.
I jumped when I heard glass crunch downstairs.
"Everything is okay. It was just one of our enforcers." Chantel called down stairs.
When silence met out ears, she smoothly walked down the steps. I followed shortly behind, not wanting to get left with that monster of a man.
David stood in the middle of the living room, Seth and Adam flanking him at his sides. Relief showed on all of their faces when they saw us. Nobody had been hurt. We were wall okay. David’s muscles relaxed when he saw me. His eyes trailed all over me as if looking for an injury. I frowned. Why did my well-being begin to matter to him?
"Mind telling me what happened?" David demanded, looking at Ares. David appeared almost angry.
"Saw the torch, came to help, only to discover someone was wearing a uniform in here." Ares nodded his head towards me.
He was blaming me. "That was not my fault at all!" I exclaimed. I turned around to face him. I stood toe to toe with him and poked him in his rock hard chest. "Maybe you should have scoped the place out better instead of blasting it up. You would have known everything was under control if you paid attention to your surroundings here." I lectured. I was furious now. He tried blaming me for what I was wearing?
I stepped closer, only to have a hand wrap around my elbow and pull me back.
"Sorry." That was Seth's voice. He tucked me into his side protectively. He gave Ares a look that said he would kill him if he touched me. "Sometimes she gets a bit mouthy."
Before I could think of a retort, David spoke. "Do you have a vehicle?"
Ares nodded.
"Good. Let's go."
Ares led the way out of the house. Seth kept his hand wrapped around my elbow, forcing me to stay close to his side. Chantel kept darting dark looks at me. I did not want to cause a seen, so I kept my mouth shut. Adam scrunched his face in confusion at mine and Seth's close proximity.
Ares led us to a huge truck. "Some of you guys will have to sit in the back." He looked between us, then his eyes landed on David. "Where to?"
David looked back into the dark woods. We were now on a dirt road. The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping fast. "I'll tell you when we get in the car."
Without a word, Seth led me to the back of the truck. He lifted me inside, then hopped in after me. Adam followed. Chantel slid inside of the truck. Lucky her. I shivered, wishing I was in the same spot as her.
The truck started up quietly. I had expected a huge roar, but it purred silently.
Adam and Seth shared a look. Something was wrong.
"What is going on?" I asked, over the roar of the wind.
"Nothing." Seth looked out into the sunset.
Adam answered my question. "Ares is an enforcer. Front of the line on any battlefield. All he does is battle in every mission he gets sent on."
That didn't surprise me. "So?" I asked.
"So he is emotionally unstable and could snap at any moment. He has seen things no man shoulder ever see. Done things no human should ever do. David shortened down the time for how long people can be enforcers. They fall off their rockers fast."
I suddenly felt sad for the man in the truck. No wonder he was so harsh.
"How long has Ares been an enforcer?" I inquired, curling tighter into my clothes for warmth.
Seth spoke this time. "Sense the rebellion started. He won't do anything else but this occupation. I've heard stories about him. He is a legend and all about bloodshed, hence why he came in storming like that."
I nodded my head in understanding. The rebels were a lot more organized than I originally thought they were. I looked back into the truck. My eyes met Ares through the review mirror. I was the first to look away.
I wondered why he would want to continue being an enforcer.
"I suggest you not get in his face like that. You never know when they snap." Seth looked out into the distance like he was recalling a memory.
I squeezed my hands into a fist. "Have you seen one snap before?" I asked.
Seth gave me a dark level look. "You should rest. It is going to be a long night."
I flinched when he brushed me off. I had thought that we had built some trust and friendship. Apparently not. I laid my head against the back window and closed my eyes. There was no way I would be able to fall asleep in the back of a truck bed. My eyes shot open when I remembered something.
"Jessica." I exclaimed. We had abandoned her there.
"What?" Adam looked at me like I was crazy.
I moved my hands around with rapid movements. "The girl that Seth brought with him."
Seth's dark eyes watched me like I was crazy. "What about her?"
I looked at him like he was an idiot. "We need to turn around. We forgot all about her."
Seth smiled now. At his lopsided smile, butterflies erupted in my stomach. I squashed them all with a big boot and forced myself to not think about his amazing smile. I needed to focus.
"What is so funny?"
Seth shook his
head as if to shake off his smile. "Jessica does things on her own. I was surprised she stayed with us for that long. She is off doing her own thing."
His answer wasn't good enough for me. "What about The Unit, huh? She can't defend herself all by herself."
"Yes she can." Seth said it in a tone that the discussion was over. I had a feeling he didn't like talking about her.
Adam gave me a soft smile and patted the spot next to him. I gave him a confused look. He patted the spot again, so I scooted over to him. Without a word, he wrapped his arm over my shoulder and tugged me into him. He was warm, so warm. I attempted to not think about how he confessed his love for Evelyn.
I looked up into Seth's eyes. Seth's facial expression was a blank mask just like Ares. Seth may not know it, but he had some things in common with that burly man. I forced my eyes shut and focused on the warmth radiating from Adam. He was like my own personal heater.
"Sleep now, Evelyn."
I tensed at the name. I thought we agreed that he would call me Brianna. I bit my lip, hard. Evelyn. He thought he was keeping Evelyn warm. How would he feel if he knew he was keeping me warm and not the love of his life?
It took all my strength to sit there and not scoot away from him. I didn’t want to be the person to make hurt fill his eyes.
Chapter Seventeen
I must have dozed off. When the truck lurched to a stop, my eyes popped open. My arms were wrapped tight around Adam. His cheek rested on top of my head. He was still sleeping. I peered at his sleeping face. He looked so innocent and relaxed when he was sleeping. It made me never want to awaken him. At least, when he was sleeping nothing could ever hurt him.
Seth's dark eyes glowed in the dark. He was watching me. His gaze felt heavy on my face. When the truck door opened, I shook Adam.
"Wake up. We are here." Wherever here was. I looked around. We appeared to be in a shambled town. It looked just like the one Stephan showed me. That felt like ages ago.
I crinkled my nose in disgust at the smell of sewage.
"Let's go." It was Ares’s deep and gravelly voice.
A chill slithered down my spine. Something was off about this place. Adam stretched his arms out, then hopped out of the truck. I followed.
He lifted me by my waist and set me down on my feet. It was unnecessary. I could have gotten out myself.
"Where are we?" I whispered more to myself than anyone else.
We were in an empty parking lot. Well, sort of empty. We were surrounded by boxes that were made to look like houses. Some were even made out of scraps of metal. I had never seen anything like it before. Did people really live in there?
"We are in the war zone." David's voice sounded sad as he looked around.
I was confused. I didn't see a war going on.
We looked over as we heard a flap of metal scrape across the ground. A thin woman came out. Her dress hung from her body. She looked fragile. Starved.
"Who is there?" Her voice was weak.
My heart pounded with pain.
"The rebellion." David's voice rang out loud and clear.
The woman burst into tears. "Please say your here to save us." She sobbed. "I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten in over a week. We're all so hungry."
At the ruckus, more people popped their heads out. All of them were so small. Their cheeks were sunken into their cheek bones. They were like walking skeletons.
"A refugee van will be here to deliver food and crops for you guys by morning."
How did David know this? The woman looked at him like he was her savior.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." She fell to her knees crying and repeating those two words.
I felt guilty for complaining about everything I had been through. I could have woken up in a body here, but I woke up in a warm home with food. I had it rough, but they had it worse. I was hungry, but they were starving.
"Do you guys mind if we stay here for the remainder of the night?" David requested.
The woman picked herself back up and got onto wobbly legs. "Of course, you can stay here."
The others weren't as welcoming as she was. They disappeared back into their shambled homes.
"Do we have food?" I whispered to Adam, who was standing right behind me.
"Yes, but we can't feed them. We don't have enough for everyone and it wouldn't be fair to share with one and not all. A riot would start."
I did not even thought of that.
"Come." The woman motioned with her hands for us to follow her.
David easily fell into step beside the woman. She started chatting to him like she had known him for years.
I gave Adam an unsure look. We didn't know any of these people. Anything could happen.
"Don't worry. They are harmless." Adam pressed his hand against my lower back to get me to walk.
I felt a little safer.
"This place looks a lot different than how I remember it." Seth commented.
"The unit bombed everything and left them with nothing." Ares informed him in a cold voice.
I shuddered. He really was a scary man.
The stench got worse when we reached her home. The boxes and metal stood about seven feet off the ground.
When we got inside, I was surprised to see the gravel covered with blankets. Torn ripped blankets. It was spacious in here. It looked like a falling apart fort.
Candles were lit everywhere. Hopefully, the place wouldn't burn to the ground. The woman had scraggly blond hair down her back. At first sight, I thought she was old, but now with a closer look, I realized she was young. Twenty at tops.
I realized where the stench came from. There was a pile of dead rats on the floor. The woman caught my gaze and frowned.
"It's all there is to eat." She explained.
A chill slid down my spine.
David gave her a polite look. "There is no need to explain yourself. We are your guest."
The girl moved her tangled hair out of her eyes. "The bedroom is over here."
She led us through a box door. This part of her makeshift house was nicer. The blankets didn't have so much wear and tear. There were ripped pillows randomly placed around and a rotted cot in the middle of the floor.
"Would you like the bed, sir?" She offered David.
David rubbed her on the top of her head like he had known her for years. "No. You rest there. Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day."
David easily dropped to the floor and slid onto his back. He put one arm under his head and closed his eyes.
He was going to sleep. Just like that. A sharp pain pierced my heart. In this moment, when he was attempting to sleep, he resembled my father perfectly.
With his eyes closed, his guarded look was gone. He looked at peace. Something overcame me. I walked to his side, and he popped an eye open. Even though this man hated me, I wanted the comfort of what used to be.
I laid on the hard ground beside him and closed my eyes. Soon, I could hear everyone lying down for rest.
Minutes passed. Hours passed. I couldn't sleep. I sat up and looked around. Only one candle remain lit. It cast a dark glow and made shadows dance.
I froze when I heard a loud noise. Nobody stirred. Looking towards the cot, I didn't see the woman from earlier. I frowned. She must have been perfectly quiet because I didn't hear her leave.
Stepping over the sleeping bodies on the ground, I made my way out of the bedroom.
The spot where all the dead rats were only had a few left. Was she feasting?
Hesitantly, I left the makeshift house. The sun was barely peeking over the mountains in the distance. The ground was covered with wet dew. Crickets played a soft melody in the distance.
There was no movement outside. Everyone was sleeping.
Just as I went to turn back into the makeshift house, I heard a groan.
"Shhh. You will wake everyone up." The girl whispered frantically.
Her voice came from another makeshift house a few feet away. Curiosity got the be
st of me. I followed her voice. If I thought the smell in her home was disgusting, it was even worse over here.
I gagged and held my breath as I opened the flap.
The girl was standing there with her back to me. I couldn't see who she was talking to, but I could see the dead rat she had clenched in her hand.
Bile rose in my throat.
"Someone is behind you," a voice sang.
The girl whipped her head around and stared at me. Anger filled her small brown eyes. She had blood trickling from her nose. Her collar bone was jutting out of her skin. Hair that used to be blonde was now a dirty brown color. She was caked in mud.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded dropping the dead rat.
I took a step back.
"I was checking on you." I offered. My fight or flight reflex was taking over.
"Let me play!" The voice screamed from behind her.
I recognized the scratchiness over the voice. The way it sounded crazed and inhuman. She was hiding a diseased.
The girl swung back around and faced the diseased. "Shh mama. Don't wake them up. They will hurt you."
I stepped to the side and peeked at the woman she was hiding. It was an older woman. Maybe in her late forties. Her eyes were bloodshot and her pupils were so big, I couldn't see her natural eye color. She had scratch marks all over her arms and face. The woman was tied to a wooden chair. She smiled at me and blood gurgled in the back of her throat.
Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) Page 16
